The Birthday Surprise

The Birthday Girl, Erin and her Surprise, Leilani aka Mimi. Yesterday we had a very long adventure to celebrate the DD's birthday on the actual day of her birth. I very nearly didn't go as I had given up my ticket to Wicked for Eriy's cousin and I hadn't slept well the night before. So, I was grumpy and not so sure that I wanted to spend the whole day out of the house. In the end it was a good day had by all.

Anyhoo, we left the house at 5:30 am to drive to Boulder for breakfast with another birthday girl, Katte Beth (her's is on Monday) at the Boulder Tea House. Erin and I hit the WalMart in the Flat Irons before hand to finish up some grocery shopping in anticipation of potentially being snowed in. Mark, Darla and Aidan joined us as well as the surprise that wasn't, Leilani aka Mimi, who flew in the night before from CA and stayed at the Judd House until we all met up for breakfast.

After breakfast, I took the whole gang to Gypsy Wools also in Boulder, to look at and fondle fibery goodness. Darla found some bamboo and merino to spin together for socks. Aidan got a BIG foam mat for his needlefelting projects. I got some lovely lavender fiber to spin(think I will ply it with the silk/wool that I have going) and Katte got some yarns and patterns for a mitt and scarf set, that I am going to knit for her.













Then we headed into town for the Wicked Ticket Lottery sign-up. I gave up my ticket for Mimi, so she and Erin could see it together. Sadly, I didn't win a ticket in the lottery. That means I get to see Wicked in London next year. Sad for me, NOT! The gentleman with his back to us in the brown leather jacket in the waiting group is Don Stewart. We met this fellow conspirator while waiting in line to get in the lottery for tickets. He joined the three of us and we all entered for 2 tickets each. As we only needed the one for me we would give him the other and vice-versa. Don didn't win either, but he was going to try again last night and today as this is it. Wicked ends this evening and moves on to Cleveland...

Since the ticket lottery sign up started at 11:30am and the drawing was at Noon and the show didn't start until 2:00pm,we had time to kill. So, we hopped on the 16th Street Mall shuttle and went down to the Tattered Cover at 16th and Wynkoop in LoDo to peruse the books and be inside til the show started for the girls. We sat in the knitting/art/craft area on the second floor and rested the feetsie and looked at the books. The Joy of Sox which has two patterns by my friend, Gina House was on the shelf and it was the first time I got to really look this book over. I so want to add this book to my collection of knitting books. The girls left me at the Tattered Cover when it was time for the show and I pulled out my knitting (I had a pair of socks with me). I discovered a huge mistake and put them aside to peruse the magazines. My phone rang and it was Sheila checking to see if I had gotten a ticket. She also wanted me to know she and her friend, Sue were heading to The Lamb Shoppe for the afternoon stitch in. Since I was at loose ends, they very kindly came downtown and picked me up and took me with them. It was a very satisfactory way to spend the afternoon and I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to the shop and my visit with Sheila and Sue.

After the girls picked me up, we headed home to the Springs in the snow storm. We had planned hand built pizzas for the supper, so we stopped to pick up the fixings at the Whole Foods after we got Pan's supper at the Pet'sMart. We were smart to stop even at the lateish hour as this is what we woke up to...

One Hundred Things for the 100th Post

Today's post is the 100th post of this blog. I thought it would be an interesting exercise to see if I could come up with 100 favourite or at least, interesting things to me.

I have really enjoyed keeping this blog. It helps to get my thoughts in order on a regular basis. I also have a commitment to something on going, that answers to no one. It leads me to explore other blogs and check out who, what, where, why and when. I find laughter, thought provocation, sadness and just life in general. I have discovered more about the quirks and foibles of my friends and their families. I have witness the children growing. I have also come to understand that my friends really are somewhat interested in what I might have to say on any given topic or occasion.

1. My family (Dad, Erin and my sister's kids, Merlin, Etienne and Lelani, Auntie Mags and all of her family)
2. Our cat, Pan

3. Ravelry and the really awesome people I have come to know through it.
3. Knitting (got 3 pair of sock, the Shawl from Hell and a ribbon tee shirt on the needles)
4. Quilting (just finish two new pieces and working on a 10 YO UFO)
5. Reading (Diana Gabaldon, Joshilyn Jackson and Dorothy L. Sayers are on the night stand)
6. Working in my garden (LOL, okay, so everything is in pots, but I still have to tend it)
7. This blog and the people I have come to know through it.


8. Moleskines Notebooks Moleskine
9. My new spinning wheel (now, if I could just learn to use it) Louet North America
10. Coming up with new recipes to use for the supper.
11. Our Library aka East Branch and all the folks that work there. They are amazing and they always want to see my socks. Pike Peak Library District East Branch Library

12. Garden of the Gods

13. Having a awesome new grocery store nearby. Sunflower Farmer's Market
14. Going to the camp in Michigan

Art Gallery on Main Street in Michigamme, MI

15. Revisiting crafts I haven't done for a while.
16. The El Paso County Crafters group from Ravelry
17. Columbines, Colorado State Flower

18. Highland Games and my Scottish heritage
19. Trader Joe's Markets
20. Philadelphia Soft Pretzels (Miss them more than Tastykakes)








21. Great Yarns and Great Fabrics
22. Being Creative
23. Ravens, Pine Martens and Owls
24. Historical Re-Enactment
25. My 1981 Toyota Pick Up Truck
26. Dancing
27. Listening to the music of Great Big Sea, The Young Dubliners, The Indulgers, Il Divo, Sarah Brightman, Andre Bocelli, Seven Nations, Albannach, The Elders, Van Morrison, Orff's Carmina Burana, Gob's O'Phun, Hadrian's Wall, Isla St, Clair, Natalie Masters, Ashley McIsaacs and Alex Beaton
28. The art of Milton Avery, Anne Huskey-Lockard, Vincent Van Gogh, Pamela Allen, Vimala McClure, Leonardo DaVinci, Caravaggio, Mary Stephenson Cassatt, Paul Klee, John Singer Sargent, Amy Brown, Tristan Blakeman, Ces, Leah Piken Kolidas, Kay Koeper Sorensen,






29. The poems of Veronica Franco, Robert Frost, e.e. cummings
30. Dr. Who and Torchwood
31. Thunderstorms
32. Bond, James Bond, the Movies
33. Carnations, Thistles, Roses and Peonies
34. Fabric as gifts
35. My Country, right or wrong
36. A new Sketchbook or Journal
37. The way the mountains change from hour to hour
38. Cloth, Paper, Scissors, Interweave Knits and Quilting Arts Magazines
39. Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds and Candied Ginger, well anything dark chocolate
40. London Broil with a baked potato and green beans
41. Border Terriers
42. Tartan
43.Gourmet Camping
44. The Ocean (I miss it I do)
45. Sailing
46. Fire in the Fireplace
47. My Quilt Maverick Lovey
48. Having a Ball Winder and Swift from Knitpicks


49. Being the Block of the Month coordinator for Piecing Partners Quilt Guild
50. Amber Jewelry and a good strand of pearls
51. Finding a new use for something old
52. My Blazing Saddles Chair
53. Cooking and Baking
54. Finishing Something!
56. The Closer and Saving Grace on TNT
57. History
58. Bodice Rippers
59. Using the words "Event Horizon" in a sentence
60. Learning something new every day
61. Rescue Me and Sons of Anarchy on F/X
62. First Responders
63. Learning the difference between American English and British English
64. Celtic Knot Work

65. Crossword Puzzles
67. A Game of Nasty (Canasta)
68.Playing at the Renaissance Faire
69. Researching period clothing and reproducing it to wear
70. Creating Wearable Art
72. My New Wellies
73. Discovering a new to me art technique
74. A new box of Crayons
75. Odwalla Strawberry Banana Smoothies
76. Trombones
77. Being Cack-handed (Left Handed)
78. Old church buildings
79. Found Objects
80. Seashells
81. Rocks and Stones
82. Burn Notice on USA
83. Men in Kilts
84. Bagpipe Music
85. Starry nights with clouds moving across the Moon
86. Dogwood Trees
87. Ginkgo Leaves
89. Silk and Wool yarn
90. Samhain (All Hallow's Eve)
91. Little White Dogs
92. Making my own greeting cards
93. Making the morning biscuts with theme cookie cutters
94. How much my friends love my shortbread cookies
95. You, my friends
96. My daughter's quirky sense of humour
97. Needle felting
98. Woolly Shawls on Chilly Nights
99. Sleeping through an entire night
100. The Old 100th

Finished Goddess Postcard - Creative Every Day

Here's the finished postcard that the beginning of is photographed in the previous post. I think it turned out pretty well.

It is made from green commercial wool, green and taupe hand dyed silk top and purple/green and orange/yellow hand dyed alpaca, which were then needle felted onto a purplely grey wool felt background.

I then trimmed it and glued it to a watercolour post card backing. It may go out into the world as a Random Act of Kindness to one of my friends. Who knows where it will land?

Lost Wallet and Rude Acquaintances

I went to the Sew Expo in Denver with some acquaintances on Saturday. I had a wonderful time, as I got to see my Denver and Boulder friends while looking at all the goodies for purchase. I did restrain myself from buying everything I saw. I got some lovely new colours of wool roving though, to add to my needle felting collection.

I really coveted the attachment from Crawford with 5 felting needles for a sewing machine that the bobbin guts are removed from. I so want one, sigh... I can better justify spending $60.00 to $70.00 on an attachment and $20.00 or so for a used sewing machine than the $400.00 for the needle felting machines by the big brands. My Scottish penny pinching soul cannot justify all that money for a machine that only does one thing, but $100.00 and recycled/re-purposed as well, none so bad...

The rude acquaintances were the ladies I rode up to Denver with. One was over an hour late and didn't apologize for it. The other whinged about the headache she had all day. I was harangued for being too QUIET! Me, quiet? Well, the person who said it, never shut up, so how could I get a word in edgewise?

Rudeness in general, reigned. I don't know about you, but I was taught to say please, thank you and I am sorry when appropriate by MY parents. I would have been better off going alone or not at all on that day as I also lost my wallet, sigh.

The lost wallet may be in the back seat of the driver's car. However, I woke her up when I called to ask and left a VM. In return, I got back a cranky VM, but still don't know if my wallet is in her car, and I called her over 24 hours ago.

I now have to gather all of the paperwork that I can find and go to the Social Security office, the DMV and the bank. Ick, poo, waaah. Of course, after I do all this, she'll likely call and tell me she found it.

Thanks to my Clever Erin, the DD who gave me a new wallet for Christmas, I will have something to put everything in when I get the new stuff. I hadn't transferred my stuff from my old wallet to the new one as yet.

I did have some knitting with me, thank heavens. When we stopped at the Container Store for one of the ladies to purchase something for her closet, I had something to do. My friend, Katte had made a gift bag for me that was just the right size to hold a skein of yarn and the hat project. I hooked the drawstring to my jacket sleeve button and away I went, walking, looking and knitting. One person in the store (a customer) look at me like I had dog doody on my shoe for walking around knitting (I think she was jealous, LOL). I didn't have my Altoid's tin full of stitch markers with me, so I had to buy some paperclips to use, as I had gotten to the decreases and didn't want to stop knitting. Paper clips can be SO useful. Everyone else wanted to know what my project was going to be and wasn't I smart to have knitting along. I never leave home without it anymore...

Edited at 4:15 pm.

The finale of the story is this. I spent all morning and afternoon replacing everything. It's a challenge when you don't have ID to prove who you are. Fortunately, my picture was still in the database at the DMV and I could be photo ID'd from it. I answered all the questions correctly at the bank as well. SS was easier as I had my latest award letter to prove it was me. So, the day was spent taking care of all of this. I spent nearly 2 hours at the DMV. The bank, thank god, was pretty painless.

The daughter arrived home and I told her the saga and she kinda got mad about my having to do all of this and spend $21.00 to replace my license as well. So, she called the person whose car it might have been in, and low and behold, that person, indeed had found it. She claimed to have left me a VM but I can prove that she did not. If she had, I wouldn't have had to waste my whole day. She was also VERY rude to my daughter and hung up on her. The gist of the coversation was basically to tell me to eat shit and die as I was rude to her and her friend. I thought I was being EXTREMELY patient and kind, even so, introducing them to my REAL friends from Metro Denver. She also LIED to my daughter. I don't do that very well, now I am furious. I'll have to see this person every week if I want to continue to knit at my LYS on Wednedsday Mornings. Gaaah...

If there is a silver lining, I will not have to renew either my license or my bank card until 2014. Both were due up next year. So, that is DONE!

Ravelry Journal Swap and Moleskine Round Robin

So, I belong to Ravelry.com, which is an on-line knitting and crochet community. It's suppose to be about knitting and/or crocheting, right?


First off, Ravelry has a group or two or three for EVERYTHING. I saw that there was a one-on-one journal exchange happening. You first fill out a brief questionnaire, then you get matched up with someone else who signed up for the swap as well. Then after some exchanges to get further details about your swap partner, you then send a journal with, in this swap, a writing prompt and a wee giftie. Susan, my swappee is from the far reaches of the NorthCentral Mid-West and loves pink and blue. She is WAY younger than me, so I got her a bubblegum pink journal with book binding and lined pages, as that's her style of journals (being cack-handed, I prefer spiral bounds). Then I made a Superperson emblem with flowers and vines PINK bag with pink and black ribbon ties for it along with a matching pink project bag that I filled with two pinks and one blue ball of wool roving and the new Clover needle felting pen as her giftie. Well, apparently I chose wisely as she indeed loves pink, but she also loves Supergirl and liked the fabric I chose for her gift. She has also has never tried needle felting, but was interested in it and now she has the start of her supplies if she finds she likes it as much as I have discovered I do. As always, in haste, I left something out of Susan's package, so here is what I wrote to her about that. It might be of use to someone out there.


I wrote to Susan:
I do hope you enjoy the needle felting, I am a huge fan of it as I am sure you can tell from my blog. The only thing I didn’t send along, which I discovered too late was a large CHEAP sponge, like you get from the Dollar Store for a working surface. You can get the brush mats at JoAnn’s, Hancocks, Michael’s, etc., but if you’re not sure if you are going to like the process or only going to try it a few times, I would use a substitute and the cheapy sponge works nearly as well for a needling surface. Use a cutting mat under a sponge, tho, so you don’t mar your table and/or break your needles, ask me how I know, LOL… Above all, have fun and oh, by the way, cookie cutters make great templates for designs if you aren’t comfy with free-handing it… If you do get hooked or needled, as the case may be, many LYSs will sell dyed wool roving fiber by the oz. and some of the artier stores may have dyed silk tops and other kewl stuff that can be needle felted. The black bag with the oak leaves is needled from both wool and silk fibers. Have fun and if you do have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. (See post of 11/24/08 for picture.)


Then there is Group C of the International Moleskine Exchange Group aka the Fabulous Creative Collaborating Chicklets. Wherein, I have met an amazing group of women and they know who they are, who if anything, are funnier, smarter and more clever than me. There are 10 of us in the group, but 6 of us appear to either have the most time to waste or the smartest mouths so I can thank the Gods and Goddesses that most of my group share at least some of my warped sensibilities about the world and Martha Stewart and are willing to talk about free ranging chickens, vegan marshmallows, Moleskines, art and what ever else happens to strike our fancy. Oh, sometimes we even talk about fiber, Frewen is blogging about felting boots, Baby Chicklet about prezzies made of fibers and I just posted about my version of Jayne Cobb's hat from Firefly and what my daughter's getting for Christmas.

So, you might ask, what is a Moleskine? The Moleskine is a notebook that can be quadrille (graph), unlined, lined, watercolour, thick or thin paper filled generally black covered with an elastic band to hold it all together with an inside back cover pocket for stuff that was made famous by the likes of Hemingway, Picasso and various other creative people and a staple in my purse for 5 iterations or about 5 years. It comes in various sizes and now apparently in various colours. We are doing a round robin, which means that currently my Moleskine is in Essex, England UK, with Lini, the Happy Hooker. We each did intro pages wherein we let the women who were going to work on our Moleskine know if we wanted a theme, hated something, had no opinion, yadda, yadda, yadda, before sending them off and then we'll each do 2 or more pages in each of the 10 other books in the exchange before ours returns to home.

Snowy Morning and Machine Felted Bags with Needle Felted Natural Designs

I have just finished a new knitted and felted knitting bag (made from black Lopi, washed and dried twice in the machines) with needle felted oak leaves done primarily with wool roving, the highlights and shadings are made of hand dyed silk rovings.

I added a needle felted thistle in wool and silk rovings to the blue felted bag recycled from a sweater that a friend made and gave to me a couple of years ago. It's ever so subtle, but loverly, I think.

Thistles are a favorite theme of mine and they appear in a number of iterations on any number of items. Like a quilt or two, a stomacher for a 1740s dress and now this bag. I have also done a locker hook one and I have a penny rug sketched out as well.

Some day... I talked to a wool strip rug hooker the other day about the process of hooking rugs and I have been interested in pursuing it, but haven't gotten the energy up to learn a new craft. I seriously don't need a new skill set, LOL. I have been reading about rug hooking in magazine devoted exclusively to the subject and looking at photo sources for hooked rugs and they are lovely.